During the production of automotive vehicles, for example, a fabricator uses a dispensing gun to apply a bead of sealant to the vehicle frame prior to the installation of an automobile windshield. The bead is applied along a pinchweld in the frame defining the windshield periphery, and the windshield is positioned thereon. One edge of the windshield is applied to the adhesive bead in the pinch weld, and then the windshield is released and pressed into place. On commercially available dispensing devices, the trigger mechanism is located at the rear end of the device and beneath the cylinder containing the sealant, making precise application of the sealant bead difficult and cumbersome when used during the installation of a windshield. For this application, it would be desirable to locate the trigger close to the dispensing nozzle end of the device, rather than the rear.
By contrast, for other applications where flowable compositions such as caulking materials, grease, and reactive resins are dispensed, the area of application is often at elevated, overhead, or relatively inaccessible positions, such as a room ceiling or at a location where room floor and walls meet. For these applications, it is desirable to locate the trigger at a position that is remote from the workpiece to avoid unnecessary reaching, kneeling, or squatting, thus reducing the risk of strain or other injury. Thus, under the present invention, the trigger is moveable to different locations on the dispensing device depending upon the type of work being performed. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides other related advantages. Likewise, it would be desirable to provide a moveable trigger on power hand tools to enable repositioning of the trigger to different locations on such hand tools such as drills, hand saws, weed and grass trimmers and the like, based upon the type of work being performed.